This disclosure relates generally to maintaining user information for online system users, and more specifically to managing access to information associated with online system users by applications operating within the online system environment.
An online system, such as a social networking system, allows its users to connect to and communicate with other online users. Users may create profiles on an online system that are tied to their identities and include information about the users, such as interests and demographic information. The users may be individuals or entities such as corporations or charities. Because of the increasing popularity of online systems and the increasing amount of user-specific information maintained by online systems, an online system provides an ideal forum for increasing engagement with various subjects by presenting content items about the subjects to online system users.
Additionally, an online system frequently allows its users to install and use applications provided by third-party systems. These applications execute within the environment of the online system, allowing users to augment interaction with the online system with additional functionality provided by one or more of the applications. Example applications provided by third-party systems include games, messaging applications, and scheduling applications. An online system user may share application-specific information maintained by applications the user elects to use with other online system users via the online system. While this sharing of application-specific information increases user interaction with the online system, it also increases the difficulty of the online system maintaining the privacy of various user-specific information maintained by the online system.